TS youth who set Vizag girl ablaze succumbs to burns

Visakhapatnam: An engineering graduate from Telangana, P. Harshavardhan (21), who immolated himself after setting his girlfriend ablaze, succumbed to burn injuries while undergoing treatment at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday morning.

The condition of the girl, who is also getting treated in KGH, is said to be critical. Harshavardhan was from Bhupalapalle in Warangal, Telangana, and the girl is a resident of Vizag city.

On 12 November, Harshavardhan and the girl had met at a private lodge in Visakhapatnam to discuss their relationship. Harshavardhan had proposed but the girl had rejected his offer of marriage. In a fit of anger, the youth poured petrol on the girl and set her on fire. Later, he tried to immolate himself.

According to the police, the two ran out of the room and raised an alarm. The lodge attendants rushed them to King George Hospital and informed the police.

The police said Harshavardhan and the girl were pursuing B.Tech at Lovely Professional University, Punjab. After COVID-19 hit in March 2020, they had been attending online classes from home.

A senior police officer said Harshavarshan was declared dead by the KGH doctors at around 5 a.m on Tuesday.

The hospital superintendent, Dr. P. Mythili, said the boy suffered injuries to the urinal system and as a result, the urine output was reduced leading to other complications which finally led to his death.

The girl's condition is also said to be critical. Dr. Mythili said she suffered burns on her face leading to infection to her lungs. "We cannot predict which course these injuries will take," the superintendent said.

The girl, in a statement, said she treated Harshavardhan as one of her best friends but had rejected his marriage proposals. Harshavardhan, in his statement, claimed that they were in a relationship earlier but she had started distancing herself from him.